The Hardest Thing
by reikotsu
Summary: AU SasuHinaNaru If you had to choose between love and friendship, which would you choose? [[Undergoing super huge revision, hopefully soon.]]
1. Chapter 1

**_(Author's Notes) _**These won't be as long as my sister's... (_Yukishiro Madoka_) Haha. Look, I'm advertising for you, sis. xD Anyways, this story was inspired by a Korean drama. Yes, I actually watch those... but _only _if they have _DBSK _in them. x) I think this drama was one of their more "serious" ones though. (Probably because Micky was in this one. -.-;;) But seriously they're a riot. xD And if you have absolutely _no _idea what I'm talking about... ignore what you just read... Oh and this also my first _Naruto _fic! And this story has a love triangle! Or _is _it? ;)

_**(Warnings)**_ Oh, yes, and there will be the occasional curse word. I actually hate cursing but ehh, this is Sasuke we're talking about... Oh, and did I mention there's character death?

**_(Disclaimer)_** Sadly, I own nada...

---

**+ Chapter 1 +**

"What?" her tone was disbelieving.

Perhaps she had heard wrong through the static of the cell phone.

Not now, not so soon. She was so close...

_Oh, Hinata... You wanted to see him so bad, didn't you?_

"You heard me, Yamanaka. Your Hyuuga friend. She's dead," was the blunt reply. "Your fiancé would have told you, but it seems he is too painstricken at the moment."

_That's right. They were best friends... _

The unintentional past tense stung bitterly.

"Oh, and Yamanaka?"

"What."

He could tell she wasn't taking the news well. He chuckled silently to himself.

_Little brother would probably take it a lot harder, even if he doesn't look like he is. After all..._

He paused a moment to recollect his thoughts on the conversation, then continued as if there wasn't that 15-second pause.

"Bring him home."

**+-------------------------+**

_A lone figure stood at the corner of an empty crosswalk. Despite the cold rain pelting against his sleak dark blue blazer, he was quite warm. He had just gotten out of his favorite cafe and in his hand was a cup of espresso, properly lidded, of course. _

_His eyes narrowed as he waited impatiently for the light to turn green. He tore his gaze from the light briefly, eyes boredly roaming across the street to his right. _

_For a moment he thought he caught a glimpse of dark blue hair. A sigh escaped his lips and he shook his head._

_It must have been his imagination... or maybe it was just the weather._

_He needed to get home if two minutes out in the rain was already making him halucinate._

_She _can't _be here, he thought unwaveringly, his eyes returning to the light to find that it had already turned green._

_No sooner did his feet touch the curb on the other side did he hear the undeniably familiar voice._

_"S-Sasuke!"_

_He turned, his expression never faltering even as his mind rallied all the reasons why she wouldn't—shouldn't be here._

_And there she stood, across the crosswalk, so near yet so far. The familiar flush was across her face_—_from the cold or from seeing him, he wasn't sure. She was dressed in dark blue capris and her trademark tan parka._

_She waved shyly, hesitantly, and when he didn't move, she stepped down from the curb._

_Even before she was able to move a few steps from the curb, Sasuke knew something was wrong. _

_Very wrong._

_His eyes strayed slowly to the light. Its dark red glare stared menacingly back at him._

_The blood drained from his face. His heart stopped, his breath left him._

_No..._

_He had been so fixated on her that he had not noticed that the light had changed color_—_or that they were still on a busy street._

_And so had she._

_Time seemed to stand still._

_And then the deafening screech of tires and clash of metal reached his ears._

_The espresso cup fell from his hand, the dark warm liquid flowing away, slowly bleeding in with the crimson fluid that trickled from the motionless body._

_He stood frozen, rooted to the spot as if by a spell. _

_The warmth he had felt when he had left the cafe was gone. He could clearly feel the cold merciless pelting of the rain against his skin. _

_Then he felt the spell break, his breath come back to him._

_And for the first time in five years, he spoke her name._

_"Hinata..."_

_The world spun, blurred._

_Until all he could hear, could see, could _feel _was the wind cutting into his flesh, into his very heart._

_She can't hear you... the cold eerie wind whispered sardonically._

**+-------------------------+**

"HINATA!"

Sasuke sat up sharply, so fast he thought he must have pulled something.

He was drenched in perspiration and his hair clung to his head as if he had been walking in the rain. Despite the blankets and functioning heater, he felt as cold as ice.

He noticed his grip on his blankets and abruptly loosened it. He closed his eyes and sighed deeply.

It was just a nightmare...

_Another _nightmare.

He had been having similar dreams the past few days, all in which he would bear witness to Hinata's death.

He wondered if it meant anything, but then decided against it.

After lying in bed for a few minutes, he found he couldn't sleep and reluctantly got up.

After taking a hot shower to rid himself of the chill he felt after the dream, he went into the kitchen to brew himself some coffee.

The front doorbell rang just as he was leaving the water to boil.

He frowned, wondering who it could be.

The last visitors he had were his neighbors, attempting to make him feel welcome.

And, well, let's say they never came back again.

Not to mention that he made no attempts whatsoever to make friends...

So who could possibly be bothering him—he glanced at the clock—at 7:30 in the morning?

Sasuke raised his eyes to the ceiling and muttered under his breath as he walked as slowly as he could to the front door.

Maybe the person would give up and go away to leave him in peace?

As he neared the door, the person on the other end started pounding loudly on the door.

_Hn. Maybe not,_ he thought sourly.

He unlocked the door without checking who it was and flung it open, ready to strike the poor person on the other side with the first expletives that came to his mind.

What greeted him on the other side was not who he expected.

A familiar blue-eyed blond female stood in the doorway, impatience clearly written across her face. Her fist stopped in mid-air and dropped lamely to her side when she realized the door was open.

_Ino Yamanaka, _Sasuke thought with mild disgust.

"_What _the _hell _are you doing here?"

"Well, well. Sasuke Uchiha, as charming as ever," Ino replied, a hint of a smile in her blue eyes. "I see you haven't changed at all."

"What do you want?" he snapped.

She rolled her eyes, an amused smile on her lips.

"Relax, jeez, I'm not here to rape you. Besides," she paused and raised her left hand to show him the diamond ring on her ring finger, "I'm engaged."

Sasuke snorted, resisting the urge to roll his eyes.

"Tch. So you went through all the trouble of finding me and coming all the way here just to tell me you're engaged?" His eyes narrowed and he gripped the door as if he was going to slam it in her face at any moment. "Sorry, but I'm not interested in attending your wedding."

"Well, actually, that's not exactly why I'm here," she replied coolly. "I'm here on behalf of one of your _former _best friends. Does the name _Hinata Hyuuga _ring a bell?"

He stiffened slightly.

She noticed.

He averted his eyes from her probing ones.

"What about her?" he replied coldly.

A dark-haired man and woman passed by on their way upstairs, surprise evident on their faces as they eyed the blond but that soon turned to something akin to fear as they noticed the Uchiha glaring at them. They left quickly, not wanting any trouble.

Ino raised an eyebrow in amusement, then smiled. "Actually, can I come in? It feels kind of awkward standing out here..."

"Fine."

He closed the door and without another word went to the kitchen, expecting Ino to follow.

_Hm, impressive. His housecleaning's even better than mine..._ Ino thought, surveying the nearly spotless living room.

When she stepped into the kitchen, Sasuke was already seated at the small round table, staring into his cup of coffee.

She noticed that no other chairs were present and the only chair there was already occupied.

_Hm, guy obviously lives alone... _Ino thought. _Typical._

With a sigh, she leaned against the counter, facing the dark-haired young man who _still _hadn't looked up.

Sasuke finally looked up and upon seeing her current predicament, shrugged.

"I don't normally have visitors," he explained, pausing to take a sip of his coffee.

An awkward silence followed.

Ino sighed again.

"Listen, I know you and Hinata weren't exactly on good terms before you left... But you two were good friends—along with Naruto," she saw him flinch at the name. "I don't know what happened between you guys, but before... you guys were so close. It kind of made me jealous..." she gave a short laugh.

"Hn," he waved his hand, gesturing for her to go on.

"Well, about two weeks ago, Hinata—she was sent to the hospital..." she paused, waiting for his reaction.

He was staring at her intently, waiting for her to continue.

"She had been in a car accident and was in pretty bad condition. A couple of broken ribs and bones, it wasn't anything that couldn't heal... But... Her heart condition got worse. You remember, right Sasuke? That one time you and Naruto took her to the hospital because she suddenly started coughing blood all over you?"

"Yeah." _I thought I was going to lose her that day..._

"It was so bad that they had to keep her in the hospital. They said any more stress on her heart would probably kill her."

"What? That's bullshit."

"Yeah, that's what I told the doctor, but they were firm on it. They even had restrictions on how many people could visit her per day. Can you believe that?"

Sasuke sat quietly, knowing where this might be leading but hoping it wasn't.

"Well, anyway," she continued, "I came to visit her one day. She was all bandaged and everything, but she still glowed. I don't know how she was able to smile after something like that."

Ino smiled fondly at the memory.

"But the funny thing was, the only thing she could talk about was you. How she wanted to see you, wondered how you were, where you were..." her voice broke, "She was afraid. Afraid of dying without getting to see you and apologize for whatever it was that made you leave."

Sasuke looked away, his heart clenching a bit—with guilt?

"It was like her dying wish and I promised her I'd bring you back. But... it seems I'd failed to grant it."

He looked up and was surprised to see tears of sorrow—and guilt?—start in her eyes.

A cold chill ran down his spine.

"You mean..."

A nod and a melancholic smile.

"Hinata... she passed away, yesterday afternoon."


	2. Chapter 2

**_(Author's Notes)_** First of all, Merry (belated) Christmas to y'all that celebrate it. :) Darn, I was a day late on this. But oh well, at least I managed to spit it out before the end of the year. WHOOT! And much apologies to those who were waiting forever for this update (if there are still any o,o).

And yesh, Hinata is dead... (_bawls_) I'm incredibly sorry!! T.T She's actually my favorite kunoichi so yes, I didn't kill her off for my own sick pleasure. -.-; And at first I didn't intend for this to be a _"sad"_ story, but apparently I should have added _angst _to the categories listed since it's starting to seem like it's a sad story. o,o

**_(Disclaimer)_** I don't own _Naruto_. Plain and simple.

_---_

_"You heard me, Yamanaka. Your Hyuuga friend. She's dead."_

_-+-_

_"Does the name Hinata Hyuuga ring a bell?"_

_-+-_

_"Hinata... she passed away, yesterday afternoon."_

_---_

**+ Chapter 2 +**

After what seemed like hours, Sasuke was finally able to board the plane. Ino sat beside him, unusually silent. Perhaps it was better that way.

After their conversation back in his apartment kitchen, Sasuke had immediately decided to book last minute tickets. Ino decided at the last moment to flip out two tickets from her purple shoulder bag.

It seemed she had everything already planned.

_"I know it might seem too late, but I hope you'll still come back. If only for her funeral. It would mean a lot to her, you know? After all, you were one of her best friends..."_

With a sigh, Sasuke leaned back against the head rest.

Just when he thought he could put everything behind him, it came right back to haunt him.

He glanced over at Ino, who still hadn't spoken a word and was looking out the window, absorbed in her own thoughts.

He frowned.

Since when had Ino and Hinata become such good friends?

Things must have changed a lot since he left.

And Naruto...

He and Naruto had been good friends, hadn't they?

His grip on the armrest tightened unconsciously.

**+-----+-----+-----+-----+**

_**And suddenly, it's all coming back to me... Was it really that long ago?**_

Twelve-year-old Sasuke was seated upon one of the large branches of the trees surrounding his school, well hidden and out of reach of his annoyingly persistent fangirls. In his lap was the lunch he made for himself, seeing as his mother had passed away years before.

He only let his guard down when he ate (and was in a fangirl-free zone).

And no sooner had he unwrapped his lunch did a rather loud voice greet him, nearly making him topple over to his death.

"OI SASUKE! What are you doing up there?!"

Sasuke didn't even need to look down to see who it was.

"Leave me alone," was the blunt reply.

"You know you're not allowed to climb the trees around school! Even someone like you could slip and FALL!" came Naruto's irritatingly loud voice.

Sasuke's eyes narrowed in annoyance.

"Mind your own business, Naruto."

Silence.

Then, "Hey, Sasuke, that looks really good. Wanna share?"

Sasuke nearly fell off the tree in shock.

Naruto sat on an adjacent branch, a goofy grin plastered on his face.

"How—? How did you get up here so fast?"

"With my ninja skills, of course."

"Tch. You? A ninja?" Sasuke scoffed. "Don't make me laugh."

"Hmph. What are you doing up here anyway? There's plenty of benches down there."

"Then why don't you go eat down there?"

"Why don't you?"

"Don't you have someone else to pester?"

His patience was definitely wearing thin.

"Hm, tell you what, Sasuke. If you let me stay I won't tell your fangirls about your secret hiding place." Naruto's eyes gleamed mischievously.

Sasuke's eye twitched slightly.

The last thing he wanted was a crowd of girls surrounding the tree trunk. There'd be no way he'd be able to escape unscathed.

"With a mouth as big as yours, chances are they already know," he said matter-of-factly, hoping being as rude as possible would make Naruto finally give up and leave.

"But they don't. Not yet, anyway." The same goofy grin again.

"Fine. Stay here then. Just don't bother me or you're taking the hard way off this tree." Sasuke returned to eating his lunch, which prompted Naruto to take out his lunch as well.

They ate in silence for a while...

...until Naruto started talking again.

_**It's strange... I... can't even remember how we became so close. And Hinata... I'm surprised at how clearly I remember the day we met her. Did I fool myself, this whole time, into thinking it meant nothing...?**_

"OI SASUKE! Wait up!"

Sasuke turned at the sound of Naruto's voice.

"What?" he asked tonelessly.

"Hey, could you come with me to the music room? I forgot my binder in there."

"Again?" Sasuke resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "Naruto, this isn't exactly freshman year where you have an excuse to forget things..." _and _do _stupid things..._

"Hey, it's happened to you too, Mr. I-think-so-perfect-I-never-forget-my-binders-in-class!" Naruto pointed out.

"Hn. Whatever."

They followed the corridors to the music room, Naruto animately talking, Sasuke half-listening. Sasuke walked silently with his hands in his pockets, his face expressionless, a slight eyebrow twitch every now and then when Naruto mentioned a certain pink-haired girl.

Before turning the corner to the music room, the two boys heard the faint melody of a piano.

Naruto stopped talking, his face lighting up at the sound.

The object of his affection, Sakura Haruno, played the piano.

Sasuke flinched slightly at the sound but then his eyebrows knit in confusion as he realized he didn't recognize the song at all.

In fact, the song being played sounded almost... sad.

It wasn't like Sakura at all.

Not to mention she had a club meeting today...

Naruto seemed to realize the same thing and glanced at Sasuke.

Sasuke shrugged then gave him a look indicating that they should get it over with.

Being as quiet as he possibly could, Naruto opened the door to the music room and peered inside.

A girl with short dark hair sat with her back towards them. She wore dark capris and a dark sleeveless shirt; her jacket lay forgotten on a nearby chair.

She was so intent on her playing that she didn't seem to notice them as they walked in, even though the piano was located quite close to the door and they were standing in quite an obvious position.

Naruto finally found his binder and as he was about to pick it up, the playing abruptly stopped.

The girl turned her gaze from the music sheets in front of her to the two boys in the room.

She glanced at Sasuke and for a moment his body was tense and poised for escape in case she was one of his fangirls

Recognition dawned on him as he stared at her pearl-white eyes.

He relaxed, letting out the breath he didn't know he was holding.

She was a Hyuuga.

And one of the few who didn't chase after him.

"Ah! I'm sorry if I disturbed you! Please, keep on playing! I was just here to get something really quick!" Naruto waved his hands in the air, his binder forgotten for the moment.

The girl's face flushed slightly.

"Ah, it's a-alright, Naruto. I-I was just about to l-leave anyway," she said quickly, getting up and gathering her things.

"Hey, you're really good!" Naruto declared suddenly. "What was the song you were playing?"

The flush on her face darkened.

"Ah, w-well. I-It's actually one of my o-own songs," she admitted sheepishly.

"WOW! No way! That's so cool! The only other person I know that can write songs is Sasuke!" Naruto gestured to the dark-haired boy standing beside him.

Her eyes fell on him again, this time with a bit more acknowledgement.

"Ah, S-Sasuke Uchiha. I've h-heard about your f-family. I'm honored to f-finally meet you," she bowed her head as a sign of respect.

"Hn." Sasuke crossed his arms and looked elsewhere.

Naruto shifted uneasily and seemed to hesitate for a moment before asking, "Hey, listen, could you... write a song for me?"

Sasuke snorted.

Naruto ignored him.

"E-Eh?" The dark-haired girl blushed and looked so flustered that Sasuke smirked, resisting the urge to laugh.

She couldn't possibly have thought of it _that _way, did she?

"He's actually been bothering me about that for some time," Sasuke said, attempting to ease her embarrassment.

When she stared at him with the same look of confusion on her face, Sasuke sighed and explained, "He wanted me to compose a song for this girl and well... I haven't gotten around to it."

"LIAR!" Naruto accused, jabbing a finger in front of Sasuke's face. "You told me there was no way in hell you'd write a song for Sakura, even if you weren't the one to give it to her!"

"Then what made you think that asking me a million times would make me change my mind?" Sasuke countered, glaring at the blonde, who glared back.

Then to both of their surprise, the timid girl uttered her answer, "A-Actually, I-I'd love to."

Naruto beamed while Sasuke merely stared, eyebrow raised.

She actually _agreed_?

"Really? That's great—!"

The door to the music room swung open right then and an older-looking student stepped in.

His eyes were similar to those of the girl's.

"Hinata—" he called, then caught sight of the two boys, both of whom were as surprised to see him and he was to see them. He gave them a look of disapproval and a glare before gesturing to Hinata. "It's time for us to leave."

"I'll be r-right there, Neji," Hinata replied, pulling on her backpack and grabbing the rest of her textbooks.

She turned back to Naruto and Sasuke, a smile on her face.

"I-I have to go n-now. It was n-nice t-talking with you," and with that, she rushed out of the room, sliding the door closed softly behind her.

They stood for a few minutes in silence.

As if suddenly realizing why they were there in the first place, Sasuke remarked, "Well, aren't you going to get that binder so we can get out of here?"

That seemed to snap Naruto out of whatever trance he was in.

"Oh yeah! I was so caught up with talking to H-Hinata that I forgot all about it!" Naruto grinned sheepishly and picked up his binder, stuffing it into his already messy backpack.

By the way Naruto said her name, it sounded as if that was the first time he'd heard it.

_Typical_.

"All right, we're outta here!" Naruto announced, marching to the door with Sasuke following, both leaving nothing but a mere swish of the door as it closed.

_**I'm sorry... It was all because of my own weakness. It should have never turned out like this...**_

**+-----+-----+-----+-----+**

Sasuke's musings were cut short by the sudden jerk of the plane as its wheels met the ground.

Beside him, Ino seemed to do the same, blinking several times as if to remember where she was.

As the plane slowed to a stop, Sasuke automatically got up from his seat to grab the rest of his luggage, which wasn't much considering how he lived on his own in a small apartment.

They filed out silently, walking side by side after leaving the plane, neither really acknowledging the other.

As Sasuke stepped outside the airport he was surprised to see a familiar-looking limousine parked outside.

The dark-haired chauffeur standing next to the vehicle saw him and raised his hand in greeting.

"Master Sasuke, it is good to see you again," he said, bowing as Sasuke stopped in front of him.

"There's no need for formalities, Madara," Sasuke remarked, waving his hand carelessly. "I stopped being your 'master' five years ago."

"Yes, well, you are here now, are you not?" Madara replied, opening the car door as he said so.

"Hn. I suppose so," Sasuke casually threw his luggage into the car, gesturing for Ino to go in first.

"May I inquire if this is a visit or are you really here to stay?" Madara inquired politely.

Sasuke wasn't quite so sure himself.

"I'll think about it."

**+-------------------------+**

Sasuke and Ino sat across from each other in the limousine, having not exchanged a word since the beginning of the trip.

Ino was sitting with her hands in her lap, staring intently at the patterns of her skirt.

After a few more moments of silence, Sasuke spoke, "You called Madara to pick us up, didn't you?"

Ino looked up and met his eyes.

"Well... Actually, I called your brother," Ino replied, something akin to a smirk slowly spreading across her face. "He's quite useful when he wants to be."

_Since _when _did my brother ever want to be "useful" to anyone?_

"I see..." A pause. _Wait..._

"Don't tell me you're engaged to my brother," he deadpanned.

Ino stared at him, then coughed in order to cover up the laugh that was threatening to erupt.

"You're kidding me, right?"

When Sasuke simply stared back and didn't respond, Ino made a face.

"Come on Sasuke, just because he's an older, _hotter _version of you doesn't mean I'd want to marry him."

He didn't know whether to be insulted or relieved.

But thank god she wasn't going to be his sister-in-law.

The thought of little Uchihas with Ino's characteristics clinging to him and begging "Uncle Sasuke" to play with them was highly disturbing.

Ino fingered her engagement ring absently, then spoke, her eyes rising to meet his.

"Actually, I'm... engaged to Naruto."


	3. Chapter 3

_**(Author's Notes) **_Uhh, sorry I keep changing titles/summaries on you guys. I'm horrible at those and can never find one to my liking. :\ Buut, I think this one will stick around for the remainder of the story. :D

Hm, I had this chapter mostly done way back when and just decided to sit down and finish it all in one day because it's been sitting in my documents neglected for half a year. o.O And I amused myself by re-reading parts where I must have been on crack. XD Yahh, I crackitized Itachi, cap'n! Okay, bad joke. XD (again, is amusing herself :P) Sorry for the long wait, folks, and darnit, I'm back on writer's block again. (_sighs_) It'll probably take me another 6 months to finish the next chapter. Haha. XD

P.S. Sorry Yuki for not being able to update before Spring Break. LOL. XD

_**(Warning)**_ Sasuke could quite possibly be OOC. (Darnit. After all that hard work trying to keep him _in _character. -.-;) So if you find the idea of Sasuke being a mama's boy disturbing, I suggest you leave. Pronto. :P (Spoiler! My bad. XD)

And I should probably warn of my weird random sense of humor. o.o And there might be crazy leaps in tone. I tend to do that a lot. (_sweatdrops_) And let's see, ending seems rushed. Maybe because I did it in like ten minutes. o.o I'll probably go back and redo this chapter someday. But for now, to satisfy myself and many readers' curiosity, here's the third chapter of THT. :D

_**(Disclaimer) **_I don't own Naruto. (_Unfortunately_.)

**---**

_"Hey, listen, could you... write a song for me?" _

_-+-_

_"I stopped being your 'master' five years ago."_

_-+-_

_"I'm... engaged to Naruto."_

**---**

**+ Chapter 3 +**

_What...? __**Naruto?**_ _But Naruto and Hinata... They..._

"Hn." He turned away, crossing his arms over his chest and scowling at the mental picture that formed before his eyes.

Ino could tell by the way his forehead crinkled in thought and the sudden darkening of his eyes that somehow her statement had greatly affected him.

Ino knew that something had happened between the three of them, but was Sasuke still so bitter? And over what?

Ino leaned back, crossing her arms and studying his profile.

But damn, he was still as gorgeous as she remembered.

Flawlessly pale skin accented by dark locks and even darker eyes.

She had always loved his eyes.

Dark, mysterious, alluring.

It was ironic, actually, that he could easily stare down a detested rival yet he always turned away whenever an admirer latched onto his arm, avoiding eye contact with the girl in case she mistook his glance in her direction to be an "look of interest", which of course, it would _never _be, at least that's the way it was in Sasuke's mind.

Everything about him was as unreadable as ever.

But Ino thought she glimpsed something in those dark eyes of his in the split second that they had made eye contact.

Grief, confusion, irritation.

In that brief moment, they had been a complete open book, just like his brother had said.

_--_

_"Itachi... do you know why Sasuke left?"_

_A pregnant pause._

_"To be honest with you, Yamanaka, I don't."_

_Another pause, as if he was reconsidering his answer._

_Itachi was facing the window, studying his reflection thoughtfully as his fingers reached out to touch the cool glass._

_"But you know, they say, 'The eyes are the windows to the soul'..." he said absentmindedly, almost to himself._

_"Huh?" What did that have to do with anything?_

_He went on, as if she had not given him a "wtf?" answer._

_"The same is true for my little brother. You see, for as macho and indifferent as he may seem, my dear little brother is a complete coward when it comes to the issue of 'emotions', preferably his more... 'unmanly' ones, should I say."_

_He chuckled slightly to himself._

_"He would never have been able to look a girl in the eye and confess his feelings for her, even if it was killing him. So you see, my poor little brother never did get the girl he wanted, even though he was fully capable of doing so."_

_What was he talking about? And most importantly, _who_ was he talking about? She didn't understand..._

_Itachi seemed to read her thoughts for he said simply, "It's in his eyes. You'll understand."_

_Then he flipped his hair as he turned around to look at her. For a moment, Ino could have sworn she saw sparkles in the background and a crowd of fangirls screaming behind him. Yes, Itachi was even hotter than Sasuke, if that was even possible. But then he had to go and ruin it by smirking in that way that made her want to throw something at him._

_"Besides, you're a woman. Women understand these kind of things."_

_--_

She had not understood what Itachi had meant then, but looking at Sasuke now sparked a startling realization.

Had Itachi been implying that Sasuke had been in love with Hinata?

**+-------------------------+**

"Ah, Master Sasuke, we have arrived at Uchiha Manor. I would say 'Welcome Home' but I believe that it perhaps does not feel like 'home' to you now..."

Sasuke examined the tall familiar building and couldn't help but agree.

It didn't seem like _home _anymore.

So then... where exactly _was _'home'?

With a dejected sigh, he grabbed his duffel bag and swung it over his shoulder.

"Oh, and Miss Ino, would you require a ride home?"

"Nah, it's fine. I'll be on my way home soon. It's pretty near here," she leaned forward to whisper to Madara. "Anyway, I think you should stay here and attend to Sasuke. After all, he _is _your 'master' right?"

Sasuke seemed to catch every word anyway.

"Madara, it's fine. Take her home," Sasuke started up the steps without once looking back, indicating that he wanted to be alone.

Madara and Ino exchanged looks of concern.

Ino sighed, glancing briefly at Sasuke's back, then climbed back into the limousine.

_Were you really in love with her, Sasuke?_

**+-------------------------+**

As Sasuke assended the steps, he couldn't help but wonder how many times Madara had taken Ino home. When did she become so close with the Uchiha household?

So many things had changed.

Had he really missed so much in five years?

As he approached the front door, he swerved right, throwing his bag over before jumping clear over the black fence seperating the already large 'front yard', as you might call it, from the backyard.

No sooner had he landed did a large white dog lunge at him, barking loudly.

Since _when _did the Uchiha household have _dogs_?

Sasuke blanched visibly.

He always hated dogs.

He rolled to the side instinctively, swinging his leg out to strike the side of the dog's face as it turned around and came back at him.

Oh, yeahh. Taekwondo 101, baby.

He jumped back, watching as the dog got up and growled menacingly at him.

It made a move as if to attack him but instead ran past him.

Confused, Sasuke turned around.

"Well, well, well... look who's trying to sneak back into the Uchiha Manor..." came a familiar voice.

"Itachi..." Straightening, Sasuke glared at his older brother in greeting.

There was a tense moment of silence.

Then it was interrupted by the dog's whimpering as it brushed affectionately against Itachi's leg.

Itachi raised an eyebrow at his brother before bending down to survey the damage Sasuke had done to the poor dog.

"You know, you could have used the front door. That's what it's there for," Itachi mentioned, his tone slightly amused. "You didn't have to hurt Sasha here." He petted the dog then grasped the dog's jaw, frowning in concern.

"Violent as always, little brother, but animal cruelty? That's low..." Itachi stood up and turned his attention to Sasuke, giving him a once-over and nodding in approval. "But it seems you've been taking good care of yourself, just like you said you would."

"I'm not here because I couldn't take care of myself," Sasuke said bluntly.

"Oh? Then what brings you back home, dear little brother? Did you forget your favorite apple underwear?"

"What apple underwear?"

"Oh... so that wasn't yours? Hm, then I wonder how that got into your drawers..."

_The hell... _

"Well, I guess you wouldn't mind if I borrowed them then since they weren't yours."

Sasuke's eye twitched.

_Even if they were, you could keep them._

"Wait, you... went through my things...?" A vein pulsed in Sasuke's forehead.

_No one_ went through his things.

Itachi scoffed. "Come now, little brother, do you really think I would go through your things? Especially your underwear drawer, of all things..." Itachi made a face. "If I _really _wanted something interesting, I'd find myself a secret _love letter _or perhaps a _naughty _magazine you stashed away somewhere..."

As Sasuke glared at him, Itachi grinned smugly, putting his hands in the air as if to say, '_kidding_... gosh, don't you have a sense of humor, little brother?'.

"To make it very simple for you, I didn't even touch any of your things. Everything is as it was when you left."

"And what about the apple underwear?" Sasuke stared at him suspiciously.

"That was a _joke_, little brother. I would never even _think _of wearing something so highly unfashionable."

That just sounded so wrong on so many levels.

Frustrated, Sasuke picked up his bag and flung it over his shoulder, scowling at his older brother, "I don't know why I'm even having this conversation with you."

"Hm... Because we haven't talked in say, five years, and this is what brothers do after being apart for so long?" Itachi's grin grew wider even as Sasuke continued to glare daggers at him.

"I'm going to my room," Sasuke muttered, brushing past Itachi and entering the back door.

The door slammed behind him.

Itachi heaved a sigh, running his hand through his hair while eyeing the door that had been violently harassed by his younger brother.

_Ah, little brother, you never were good with your emotions... But I wonder... which one convinced you to leave?_

**+-------------------------+**

His room was at the end of the hall on the second floor.

He remembered the hallways always being quiet and formal, with a maid or butler at every other door. Funny how the silence now seemed unbearable and the lack of servants made the hall seem unnaturally spacious.

Sasuke reached the door to his room and turned the doorknob, expecting it to be locked. It slid open effortlessly and he wondered if it did so because the maids came in every now and then to work its hindges.

Judging by the lack of dust in his room, his assumption was probably correct.

He crossed the room and dropped his bag at the foot of the bed. He flopped onto his bed and stared up at the ceiling, recollecting his thoughts.

Itachi didn't change at all.

Chances were that in public, Itachi still gave people the illusion that he was normal but still acted like a total nut at home.

Damn crazy brother...

He closed his eyes and sighed.

What he still didn't understand was Ino's declaration. It had been gnawing at his mind the whole ride back to Uchiha Manor.

It just didn't make any sense.

_They _were the reason he left. He had thought he had done them a favor by leaving.

_Damnit, Naruto, you were supposed to take care of her..._

Sasuke rolled over onto his stomach, facing the small nightstand to the right of his bed.

A single framed picture lay on the stand.

A woman sat on a large, smooth boulder adjacent to the sea, her dark locks flowing gently with the breeze.

Sunlight played along the magnificent flute she held to her lips.

Her eyes were closed, but Sasuke knew that if she had opened them, they would be as black as his.

His mother's eyes.

It was an older picture, his father had told him. One taken before his mother and father were married.

He stared at the picture for a moment longer before his eyes instinctively fell upon the set of drawers where he knew his own flute case lay hidden.

Getting off the bed, Sasuke made his way over to the drawers and opened the second one, picking up the familiar black case.

He leaned against the wall, carefully opening the case and lifting the flute from the indigo velvet interior.

Sunlight filtered through the window and danced along the flute, as if tempting him to play it.

The flute fit perfectly in his hands, felt as familar as if he had only picked it up yesterday.

His mother had given it to him on his ninth birthday. It was one of the few things he had left to remind him of his mother.

And looking at it now, after so long, brought back that all too familiar feeling of nostalgia.

_--_

_"Mother, what is this?"_

_Large, curious eyes stared from the black box back to the face of the gentle, smiling woman across from him._

_"Well, you'll have to open it to see what's inside," she smiled at her son's apparent confusion._

_He had managed to get the wrapping paper off, that was a good sign._

_"I can't... It's stuck," he pouted cutely after several attempts to open the box._

_"Ah, let me see," she took the box and unfastened the silver clasp that her son had missed._

_His eyes lit up and he took the box back eagerly, opening it to reveal a shiny, brand-new flute._

_He marveled aloud at its lusterous beauty, handling it as if it was something fragile and precious._

_"Mother, it's just like yours," he beamed, holding it up for her to see._

_"Yes, and now you can play a song for me every night, right?"_

_--_

Sasuke leaned his head back against the wall and closed his eyes briefly, sighing.

_Mother._

Opening his eyes, it struck him that he hadn't visited his mother since the day he left.

He had left without looking back.

But now he was back.

And he had a few things to settle.

**+-------------------------+**

Kisame was climbing the steps up to Itachi's house, too absorbed in his own annoyed thoughts at how many freaking steps there were up to Itachi's house and how tiring it was to walk up them everytime he came over.

So absorbed in fact, that when he saw a dark-haired male come out of the front door, he assumed that it was, well, Itachi.

"Yo, Itachi, my man--!" he shouted, only to stare up into the dark eyes of... wait, this wasn't Itachi...

"Itachi's lil bro? No way, when did you get back, little guy?" That was probably a bad move as Sasuke turned on him with a more intimidating version of Itachi's death glare.

Oh man, Sasuke was even better than his brother at this glaring business. Kisame didn't care what anyone else said.

Sasuke was definitely one _creepy _little guy.

With a slight hmph, Sasuke shifted his flute case to his other shoulder before descending the steps, paying no further attention to Kisame, who had jumped out of Sasuke's path, way too creeped out at this point to do anything else.

After Sasuke had passed by, Kisame made his way up the steps and into the gate next to the house. He was greeted by Sasha, who yipped joyfully and ran about his ankles. Itachi looked up from his seat near the pool and Kisame could see the questioning look in his eyes as his sunglasses slid down a bit.

"Jeez, Itachi, that kid brother of yours is as creepy as ever!" was all Kisame had to say.

**+-------------------------+**

It was a two-block walk to the cemetery and Sasuke didn't mind walking.

He had walked there nearly every morning after his mother died.

His footsteps carried him to the front gate and for a moment he just stood with his hand on one of the bars, staring at the vast cemetery.

If someone had merely glanced at this cemetery as they were passing by in a car, they would have gotten the impression that it was not a cemetery at all. This cemetery was even greener than half of the front yards in Konoha and several Sakura trees were scattered throughout the cemetery.

It was, in short, a cemetery for the most noble and richest families living in Konoha.

Yet, it was ironic that despite all the money and care provided for the cemetery, those same families rarely had time to visit their loved ones due to their hectic schedules.

Having figured this out himself when he was younger, Sasuke took the opportunity to spend time alone beside his mother's grave.

Scanning the area, he noticed the Sakura trees were still there and the ridiculously well-kept grass was still there. Yet, there was a certain loneliness about the place that he hadn't seen before.

Or was it because he had come back now with nothing but memories?

Pushing the gate open, he made his way to his mother's grave, the flute case hanging from its strap on his shoulder.

Sasuke stopped suddenly at a familiar gravestone, kneeling down until he could read the words engraved as deeply in his heart as on the smooth surface of the tombstone.

_Here Lies_

_Mikoto Uchiha_

_Beloved Mother and Wife_

"Good morning Mother," he said, smiling wistfully.

He ran his fingers over the engravings affectionately, as if he was touching his mother's face again.

He closed his eyes momentarily, opening them slowly to gaze sadly at the tombstone, his fingers falling from the tombstone to the case at his side. He opened the case slowly, lifting the flute from its case and running his fingers over the keys.

His eyes rose to look at the tombstone.

A breeze picked up and ruffled his hair, as if in encouragement.

Wordlessly, he lifted the flute to his lips and began to play.

Memories flooded him.

His mother teaching him how to play.

Her adoring smile as she watched him practice.

Her good-humored laugh whenever he complained that it was too hard.

Her encouraging words that never failed to lighten him up.

Her warm hands as they patched up a scratch on his face.

Her horrified scream as their car collided brutally with another.

Her unsmiling lips as she breathed with the help of a machine.

Her laugh nowhere to be heard in the still, white hospital room.

Her cold, cold hands as he cradled them in his own, willing them to become warm again.

_"Mother. Please, wake up."_

His own tears of frustration as they lowered his beautiful mother into the ground.

_"STOP! Mother's going to wake up! Mother!"_

His brother's exasperated sigh.

_"Sasuke, you're a big boy. Stop crying. It's not going to bring Mother back."_

His father's hand on his shoulder.

_"Sasuke, your mother's gone."_

But he couldn't accept that.

_"You're wrong! Mother's not gone!"_

But he knew, in his own heart, that she was gone.

When he turned eleven, his tears had dried. He had stopped crying after that.

But there was a cold empty sadness whenever he visited his mother's grave.

He turned cold after that, throwing up invisible barriers around himself.

There was no room in his heart for anyone but his mother.

Or so he had thought.

Unintentionally he conjured up a seemingly irrelavant memory of a clumsy blue-haired girl literally falling at his feet after he had stopped playing for his mother one day.

Her eyes avoiding his as she apologized for eavesdropping, her stutter coming full force.

Bright yellow flowers on a tombstone with another mother's name on it.

And even though he didn't know it at the time, that was when _everything _changed.


End file.
